Talk about a bad day. Apparently the person behind the wheel of a city solid waste truck Dec. 5 forgot to close the tailgate after unloading at the city's transfer station on Old Coachman Road. When the driver left, the tailgate caught, pulled and severed Knology fiber optic cables strung across Old Coachman Road. The result? The city is paying the cable company $39,295 for repair costs. During a recent meeting, City Manager Bill Horne said the driver was disciplined, but declined to say much else. City Council member Paul Gibson shot back: "You mean he still has a job." Horne said he did. The money comes from the city's central insurance fund. And yes, taxpayers are paying for it.

2006 budget was

a big winner, really

Residents like to complain about city spending, but at least one organization thinks that Clearwater's finance department is doing a good job. The Government Finance Officers Association in Washington, D.C., awarded the city's office of management and budget with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its 2006 budget. This award, according to the city, reflects "Clearwater's commitment to meeting the highest principles of local government budgeting."

COUNTYWIDE

Get rid of phone books via recycling

Pinellas County Utilities is encouraging all residents to recycle their old phone books. There are many convenient options for recycling. Eight cities offer curbside recycling: Belleair, Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Oldsmar, Redington Beach, Safety Harbor and Seminole. Residents can also use one of the 40 drop-off locations around the county. A complete listing can be viewed online at www.pinellascounty.org/utilities/PDF/phone-book-sites.pdf. For more information, contact Pinellas County Utilities at (727) 464-7500 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/utilities.

Health department would like answers

The Pinellas County Health Department is conducting an anonymous, random telephone survey that will interview approximately 1,500 adults in Pinellas County. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, which does not ask personal questions such as name, Social Security number or home address, provides the health department with important information about health behaviors and health conditions. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. It may take 15 to 20 minutes to complete the interview. For more information about the survey, visit CDC's Web site at www.cdc.gov/brfss.

There is a reason why the air in Tampa Bay is filled with playoff talk. If Thursday night's 12-8 Bucs preseason win over the Jaguars is any indication, it's also going to be filled with footballs thrown by quarterback Jameis Winston.